Do you ever just feel God around you? Sometimes I do, especially if I am outside. We had a bad thunderstorm early this morning. One that rattled the windows and shook the house. My husband already left for work and I was grateful to have our 10-year-old son crawl into our bed when the storm raged outside.

It reminded me of Psalm 29:

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,[a]ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.[b]

3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;the God of glory thunders,the Lord, over many waters.4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,and Sirion like a young wild ox.

7 The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth[c]and strips the forests bare,and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.11 May the Lord give strength to his people!May the Lord bless[d] his people with peace!

Get your mental “gloves” on. Fight back against those negative thoughts: stand on TRUTH in 2017. Recently, I was blessed to be the speaker at a women’s retreat in Arizona. The theme was “One True Voice,” and we focused on battling back those negative things we say to ourselves by listening for God’s voice and God’s truth about us.

I can’t put the whole retreat into a blog, but I can leave you with our take-away: TRUTH

T = Testify: you are a child of God Almighty; you are the daughter of the King of Kings; stand confident that you are His princess, amazing and beautiful in His eyes.

R = Recognize: notice when you start saying negative things about yourself, even if it only happens in your mind; recognize where those hurtful thoughts come from ~ we all have “heart wounds” from which our insecurities and doubts flow (and the enemy will try to use these against us); do some journaling and recognize what heart wound is causing those nasty thoughts; once you can recognize it, you can ask God to help you heal it.

U = Utter Scripture: holy Scripture is powerful; find 3 verses from your Bible to fight against the heart wounds you recognized above; memorize those verses; when you start spouting off nasty thoughts about yourself, pause and say the verses instead.

T = Trust God: many things happen to us in life that cause those heart wounds and ugly voices in our heads; we must trust that God is good; read your Bible looking for the character of our God; He is good and He keeps His promises; trust God to heal your heart wounds and to keep His promise that there will be no more tears, no more pain in Heaven, where we will spend eternity!

H = Honor Jesus & Holy Spirit: read John 17 where Jesus is praying just before His arrest; understand that Jesus claimed you as a precious gift from the Father; comprehend that Jesus stepped in and said, “this one is mine.” Read John 14-16 (also, you can study these precious words and final prayer of Christ in His Last Words) and be in awe that you have the power of the Holy Spirit with you always; consider that your not-so-nice thoughts about yourself toss insults at Jesus and the Holy Spirit because God loves you so much; exchange your thoughts for God’s One True Voice.

This nifty acronym (TRUTH) is easier said than done, but my experience has been that it is possible. Be determined to change. Be ready to fight. How?

Write TRUTH and what it means somewhere you will see it every day.

Recognize your heart wounds and find 3 verses to fight back.

Set aside at least 15 minutes each day for God; pray, read your Bible, memorize your verses, listen for His voice.

When you start to hear your own voice, ask for the Holy Spirit to speak instead.

Don’t give up. Our culture supports those nasty lies about ourselves. Put those “gloves” on every day and fight back.

Let’s do it together ~ share your ideas for standing firm on TRUTH by leaving a comment to help others get started…really, go ahead, take a risk, reach out, type something below…you can do it, you are the daughter of the King!

Remember that song, “Don’t worry, be happy?” It was a catchy tune, but it didn’t provide much to help us stop worrying. Jesus, however, told us exactly how to stop worrying. Apparently, 2000+ years ago, people also worried. Jesus didn’t sing a jingle. Instead, He said this:

“For this reason I say to you,do not beworried about yourlife,as towhat you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body,as towhat you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?Look at the birds of theair, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, andyetyour heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

And who of you by beingworried can add asinglehour to hislife?And why are youworried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,yet I say to you that not evenSolomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.But if God so clothes thegrass of the field, which isalivetoday and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace,will Henot much moreclotheyou?

You of little faith!Do notworry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; foryour heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.Butseek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will beadded to you.

So do notworry about tomorrow; for tomorrow willcare for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” ~ Matthew 6:25-34

If the Lord does not want us to worry about what we will eat, what we will drink, or whether we will have clothing to wear, do you think He wants us to worry about other, non-essential things? Likely not.

Today’s passage is packed with spiritual truth about our value and worth to God. Understanding our true value in the sight of God is the key to releasing worry, fear, and anxiety.

Consider taking a 5-minute walk outside today. Check out the multitude of animals and plants that are all thriving under God’s provision. Look around and realize that the Lord is making sure that each critter, down to the tiny bug, gets what it needs each day. With a mouth to speak and a life that can give glory to the Lord, how much more will God care for you?

Today’s passage also points out the obvious: worry does no good. Worry is one of those behaviors that the Lord would like us to give up so that our behavior sets us apart as a Christ-followers.

Jesus told us why we should stop the madness of worry and stress over our needs: your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

But, when it seems like so much is at stake in your life, how do we stop worrying and stressing? The answer is also in today’s passage: seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Seek God first, in all that you do, and the rest will take care of itself.

The last time we “talked” I was sitting alone in the desert, asking God how I should explain what happens when we read our Bibles (see Monday’s post “Why Should I Read Something That Is 2000 Years Old?!”). As I sat under the hot Arizona sun, God answered…

As I sat in utter astonishment, wondering how God could speak into my heart each time I read my Bible, the Holy Spirit prompted me to turn to the book of Isaiah, Chapter 55. As I read Isaiah 55:10-13, in my heart I heard, “My Word is Purposeful, Personal, and Powerful:”

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. ~Isaiah 55:11

Purposeful: Isaiah 55:10

For as therain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,

God’s Word comes to you for a reason…

Personal: Isaiah 55:10

And furnishingseed to the sower and bread to the eater;

… and that reason is exactly what you need. Whether you need seed to sow or food to eat, God’s Word gives each person what is needed. Although the Bible was written way before your time, God still intends to use it in your life today.

Purposeful: Isaiah 55:11

So will Myword be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

What is written in the Bible and how God intends to use His Word in your life will be accomplished. God’s Word will succeed. He will not allow the Bible to be meaningless or irrelevant.

Powerful: Isaiah 55:12-13

For you will go out withjoy
And be led forth with peace;
The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you,
And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up,
And instead of the nettle the myrtle will come up,
And it will be a memorial to the Lord,
For an everlasting sign which will not be cut off.

Peace and joy. Moving mountains and trees. Instead of “bad” things, good things will happen. Others will see your life and be led to the Lord and His Word. Wow ~ that’s powerful!

Knowing that the Bible contains what you need, that God intends to use His Word in your life in a powerful way, shouldn’t you make time for it? The Bible will unleash not only the power of God in your life, but the peace and joy you seek.

Dust off that Bible and open your heart to the Lord’s voice!

Has God spoken to you through the Scriptures? I’d love to hear about it and I’m sure it would encourage others ~ so please share in the comments.